Gwangju Biennale Opens Applications for 2026 International Curator Course

A Platform for the Next Generation of Curators

The Gwangju Biennale Foundation has opened applications for its 2026 International Curator Course (GBICC), a rigorous educational programme designed for emerging curators, art theorists, and cultural practitioners aged 35 and under. The deadline for submissions is July 5, 2026, at 11:59pm KST.

Now in its seventeenth year, the course traces its lineage to Okwui Enwezor's "Global Institute," established in 2008. Over the past sixteen years, it has built an international reputation with the guidance of figures such as Maria Lind and Ute Meta Bauer, producing 203 alumni from across the globe. This year's edition will be led by independent curator and researcher Mijoo Park.

Anchored in the 16th Gwangju Biennale

The programme begins on August 29, just before the opening of the 16th Gwangju Biennale, and concludes in Seoul on September 10. Participants will engage directly with the biennial's artistic director, curatorial team, and participating artists, gaining first-hand insight into the exhibition's conceptual framework, production processes, and the practices of the artists involved. Seminars with invited speakers, site visits, and group activities will form the backbone of the schedule.

The course takes its cue from the biennial's theme, You Must Change Your Life, reframing it as You Must Change Your Default. Through this lens, attendees will interrogate the processes and structures that shape their own curatorial work while critically examining the institutional and social conditions that have informed their trajectories. The programme ultimately seeks to explore, collectively, how those conditions might be reconfigured.

Practical Details

The course is conducted entirely in English. Benefits for successful applicants include full tuition, accommodation for the duration of the programme, partial airfare reimbursement, and a course certificate. The programme is hosted by the Gwangju Biennale Foundation in partnership with Gwangju Metropolitan City.

Applicants must submit a completed application form, a statement of motivation and potential contribution (500 words), a reflection on their current curatorial practice and questions (500 words), a CV, a portfolio of relevant materials such as past exhibitions and essays (maximum ten pages), and an optional letter of recommendation. All documents must be submitted as separate PDFs in English via email to curatorcourse@gwangjubiennale.org, with the subject line formatted as GBICC_Name.

Successful candidates will be notified in late July. The foundation notes that the course does not guarantee visa approval and that previous participants are not eligible to reapply.